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Ode to Oats – 5 Ways to Benefit from Oatmeal in Homemade Skin Care

Do you know why babies have such clear, smooth skin? It’s because all of their porridge goes in their face and not in their mouths!

Okay, maybe not, but I can assure you that getting a bit of oatmeal porridge in your face does not do any harm – au contraire, mon frére! I’m sure you’ve heard of how healthy it is to eat your oats. But did you know this about what oats can do in skin care?

Oatmeal has anti-inflammatory properties and is perfect for most skin types, even the most sensitive skin

Oatmeal contains saponins, a cleansing agent, and can therefore be used as a mild soap

Oatmeal is moisturizing and helps remove dead skin cells.

Oatmeal can help treat acne, eczema, rosacea and rashes

Oatmeal can helps relieve symptoms of aging skin

Not bad, huh? And to think all this time we have wasted our oats for eating! Using oatmeal in skin and hair care is just as easy as cooking porridge…. Come to think of it, it’s easier.

The only thing you need to do to get started is to make some oat flour (or buy some straight from the shop). To make oat flour, just take some oat groats or rolled oats and run them in a blender or food processor or even mortar. And there you have it – a fine powder that can be used on you skin and in your hair! Now you can get started on all these different ways of using oats in skin and hair care.

1. Oatmeal Face wash

Being very mild, but yet cleansing, oatmeal is a great ingredient in a face wash. Here’s a few suggestions. These work for any skin type, especially dry, irritated or sensitive skin.

The super-easy oats face wash

Mix 1 tbs of oat flour with 2 tbs of hot water. Apply to face and rinse with warm water

The good morning oats face wash

2 tbs oat flour
2 tsp honey
1 tbs milk
Combine all ingredients. Apply to face and neck, leave on for a few minutes if you like and then rinse.

The ”advanced” oats face wash

3 tbs oat flour
2 tbs warm water
2 tbs rice flour
1 tsp glycerin (optional)
1 tbs aloe vera (optional)
Combine all ingredients. Apply to face and neck, leave on for a few minutes if you like and then rinse.

2. Oat milk

Many vegans choose to substitute cows milk with oat milk, which you can nowadays find in any larger grocery store. However, oat milk is basically just oats soaked in water, and it’s really easy to make yourself. Here’s a recipe to enjoy as a milk substitute – or better yet, use it as a face toner! Keep a small bottle in your fridge and apply with a cotton pad after a face wash. You can also use this as a cleanser and wash it off with water. Very refreshing, and your face will be smooth, soft and healthy looking!

2.5 dl (1 cup) organic ground oats
1 liter (1 quart) water (if using only as a toner, you can use distilled water to increase the shelf life)
3 tbs carrier oil

Mix the ingredients well in a blender. Using a cheese cloth or sieve, strain mixture to get rid of any large pieces of oat. Store in the fridge for a few days. (You can also freeze these into ice cubes for later use)

If using oat groats, you’ll need to soak the oats overnight first. Here’s a recipe for oat milk using whole oats.

3. Oatmeal Scrubs

Oat flour can be used in face and body scrubs to buff your face for a clean, soft finish. Here’s a few real easy ones:

Oatmeal body scrub
Mix equal parts of olive oil and sugar with a bit of a carrier oil. Use as a body scrub instead of soap, wash with warm water. You’ll probably not need to moisturize after using this scrub.

4. Oats as a dry shampoo

If you have blonde hair, ground oats is a fantastic dry shampoo. Just rub some over your scalp, and brush excess oats out with a boar bristle brush.

5. Oat bran bath

Put about 1 dl (0.5 cup) of oat groans or rolled oats in some cloth and tie it up to make a small bag. Put this in your bath tub or in your foot bath. Press the bag a bit until the oatmeal “milk” comes out. You can also use this bag instead of soap on your body or face. It will give a light scrubbing and cleanse your skin and pores.

15 Comments

Love your ideas! I’ll definitely try this! Thanks! After I try some of your recipes and find that they really work (not that I’m doubting, I’m sure it will) I’ll feature you in my blog! Thanks for all the great tips!